Shiites have historically been, to use the words of Fouad Ajami, the stepchildren of the Arab world. They constitute only about 12-15% of the Muslim world; the dominant 85% are Sunni. Shiites have suffered from discrimination for more than 1400 years since the advent of Islam. At times, this discrimination has included murder and mayhem — almost exclusively by the Sunnis who have ruled over them, in places such as Iraq, Bahrain, and probably Kuwait, where Shiites most likely form the majority though no one really knows for sure. Shiites also form the overwhelming majority in the Eastern provinces of Saudi Arabia — the area directly across the causeway which links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia — where most of that country’s oil is located. In all cases, but most specifically Saudi Arabia, whose rulers are Wahhabi and passionately anti-Shiite, the Shiites are treated at best as second-class citizens, and, in places like Saudi Arabia, much worse.

Before the liberation of Iraq, Iran was the only place these Shiites could look to for some protection or sympathy. Both the previous and present governments of Iran looked at themselves as the protectors of the Shiites on the Arab side of the Gulf. The present government of Iran has gone much further and done its best to undermine Bahrain and the oil-rich Shiite areas of Wahhabi-dominated Saudi Arabia. That is one of the major reasons the Saudis and Bahrainis have done their utmost to convince the U.S. to support regime change in Iran.

Iraq, though today ruled by a largely Shiite government, is, because of its inclusive nature, much more concerned about internal developments than in the fate of their Arab Shiite neighbors to the south. Though Iraqi Shiites wish their Arab Shiite brethren and relatives well, Iran is still the major force for trouble in these countries. There are strong tribal connections between all these Shiites which transcend today’s borders.

This is a potential disaster for the world. More than one quarter of the world’s oil transits the Strait of Hormuz at the southwestern end of the Gulf. And more than half of the oil exported from the Arab Gulf countries is located where these discriminated-against Arab Shiites live.

If things continue as they are, then there is every possibility that our interests could suffer a major blow.

Iran’s current government would like their fellow Shiites in the Arab Gulf to overthrow their Sunni rulers and replace them with local Arab Shiites, whom the Iranian government thinks it could easily dominate. To make matter even worse, this Iranian government — probably the savviest government in the Middle East — has been planning for years for the overthrow of many of the Arab regimes, most notably Hosni Mubarak’s in Egypt. (Tehran’s tyrants named a street in their capital after the man who assassinated Anwar Sadat.) Tehran has worked for years with Mohamed ElBaradei, the UN inspector who whitewashed Iran’s nuclear program and whom many believe was (or is!) on the payroll of the Iranian regime. Interestingly, Iranian national TV tried not to cover the events unfolding in Egypt until ElBaradei — who has not lived in Egypt for over thirty years — began to speak out against Mubarak and on behalf of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Many Middle Eastern experts, especially in the U.S. government, have argued for years that Sunni fundamentalists such as Osama bin Laden and the Muslim Brotherhood hate Shiites and could never work together. But nothing could be further from the truth. Sunni Brotherhood leaders and members of bin Laden’s family have made appearances in Tehran over the years, many times in full public view. These Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists share a common goal of eliminating the West from the Muslim world. Thereafter, they could work out their deadly differences. If things continue as they are, these upheavals could well amount to a huge win for this passionately anti-Western Iranian regime.

13 Comments, 11 Threads

Well written. I have always said that the Ayatollahs are the best excuse for the weapon and oil businesses. Sadly the world needs war and the Ayatollahs make the perfect bogey man. Unless there is another substitute there will be no change.

Shiites and Sunnis have been in the business of slaughtering each other for centuries, long before the Hindus and the Muslims got into the act of mutual hatred and extermination. Let them at it. Let them slaughter themselves again. This is totally insane that we would even want to get in the middle of a generationl conflict like this. This is tribal garbage that goes back to about the 8th or 9th century A.D. and we’re certainly not going to put an end to it now.

We should let both sides understand that we really don’t care if they kill each other. As Henry Kissinger said about the Iran-Iraq War, “It’s a pity there can be only one loser.” That’s the way I felt then and it’s still the way I feel now. We should just make it clear to both sides that if they attack us we will destroy them. As for the oil, well, if we HAD a president with half a brain, we would have started developing all of our own energy resources here in the United States 20 years ago. We have more than enough oil and natural gas off our coasts and on our land, not to mention coal and nuclear energy, to meet our needs. But do we take advantage of it? No.

So the next time you’re paying $7 or $8 a gallon for gas (and, trust me, it’s coming), just remember that you had Democratic presidents and a bunch of enviro-Nazis telling you that it really is better to hug a tree instead. At this rate, in a few months we will have the most natural and least polluting mode of transportation there is. It’s called “a horse.” That’s progress for you!

While it’s true that various Middle Eastern factions have warred with one another for centuries, Islamist Sunni’s and Islamist Shiites are more competitive than hateful of one another (What’s a little violence where family is concerned?). They both HATE the Jews (The Little Satan Israel) and the West (in particular The Great Satan America). They will cooperate with one another to destroy their hated enemies and work out their doctrinal differences later.

When so many Liberals have so much invested in their demonstrably false narratives, it is easy for them to convince themselves of pretty much anything they need to in order to avoid facing reality. And yet the bitch goddess reality will not be put off for long.

MAIN LIBERAL PREMISE: America engenders envy and hatred by being too successful, therefore America must be brought down to the same level as other countries to ameliorate that envy and hatred. Equalization = sunshine and lollipops.

THE REALITY: The power vacuum created by guilty Libs tearing down America and her standing in the world makes that world much more dangerous, resulting in more wars and many more deaths. The Libs then blame the resulting carnage on America again, pointing to the horrific results occuring from enacting their own stupidity into policy and claiming that those horrific results indicate the need for even MORE of their stupidity to be enacted into public policy. Their stupid fellow travelers in the MSM (making a difference!) filter and manicure their version of “news” to portray the Libs view of the world and how it works as accurate, even in the face of massive evidence to the contrary.

There is absolutely NO thing to indicate that the Obama Administraton will turn it’s head in that direction of Iran let alone support any movement in Iran. To my knowledge it hasn’t even been mentioned on the 6 O’clock news or anywhere as more than a foot note. Not even a scold from Hillary that I am aware of and that is usually where it starts (But the scold level has to get do Def-Con Scold Level III before Obama moves into action, that will be a while if it ever happens, afterall we need to negotiate with the Mullahs about their nukes and we can’t be making them angry with us, we don’t want them or the Achmwack to hate us. OH no no no, can’t have that)

When the outcome is known, then and only then will Obama reach for the ring of righteousness and self serving admonishment of the Mullahs.

I am shocked, YES SHOCKED, that O has acutally condemned Gaddafi, as the outcome in Libya is still just slightly in question. This is a courageous move for him. I wander what this baby step feels like to our Hero in Chief.

Certainly we should not send any armed forces, but certainly we should send as much advice and arms as we can to these patriots in Iran, Libya and anywhere else that we hope to have some say in what comes after. But we won’t.

Obama attack an ally, please, the man does have his loyalties. In any case, right now the real enemy is a guy in Wisconsin called Walker, & you can’t expect our president to manage two thoughts at a time. Intelligent as he is rumored to be.

The last of the evil empire, Iran, is ruled by a virulent theocracy that perpetrates itself by claiming “Divine assignment”! The current Iranian regime, by some estimates, is hated by 70% of its people. The oppression and the lack of liberty, in the name of religious obedience, have brought most Iranian to an irreversible boiling point.
The Arab world could help disarm some of the Iranian claims of protecting the Shias by adopting regimes that respect the shias rights and treat them equally. The US and the West should financially and morally support the Iranian people in their quest to reverse 32 years of Tyranny.
A world without Khamanei and company will have a better chance for stability and peace.

If Israel and the west had any brains at all they would be pitting Sunni against Shiites and let the 6th century Einstein’s kill each other off. Let the experts do their thing, after centuries of practice they don’t need our help.

It’s amazing how naive some neocons can be. You think the American government can just wave a magic wand and magically overthrow the Iranian regime? With no consequences? With no violence? With no backlash against America?

How soon we forget that it was American intervention in Iran that led to the current state of affairs in the first place.

Instead of constantly antagonizing Iran and giving them an excuse to demonize America, why not make friends with the regime? Why not normalize trade and diplomatic relationships with them? The Iranian people already love freedom and have a healthy respect and admiration for America. Why not cultivate these relationships and create friends in the region instead of enemies?

Besides, a lot of problems in the middle east would be solved by the creation of a Greater Persia.